


love can be shared

by kyunsclub



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pet Store, Bang Chan is Whipped, Fluff, M/M, comparison of minho’s beauty as shiny stars because chan isn't the only whipped here, minchan rise !!!, minho can literally kill for his kittens but he only cries for them, too much sugary fluffy fluff!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-26 18:30:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19011445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyunsclub/pseuds/kyunsclub
Summary: in which minho works at a animal shelter and chan wants to shelter minho from anything that makes him unhappy.





	love can be shared

**Author's Note:**

> perhaps that two kids room ep where minho talked about soonie,doongie and dori to seunglix got my creative juices flowing. 
> 
>  
> 
> i was supposed to make it a little bit different but fluff got the best of me. 
> 
>  
> 
> i used the names of got7 youngjae, jaebum and bambam’s pets because why not. (i, also used jaebum’s cat ‘kunta’ as a puppy, oops).

  
  


as the years passed on, chan found himself not that keen about dogs like before;and neither about cats.

he had his first  dog when he was little, and while he was responsible for walking it, taking turns on bathing her with his siblings and feed her every now and then when his parents couldn’t, that is hardly comparable to being responsible for a dog’s life all on his own.  don’t get him wrong he loves them, of course!. chan could literally kill for his baby girl, berry, back in Sydney. who wouldn’t fall for them fluffy and cozy tiny things? they are adorable and brings happiness, scientifically proven. 

but they're also loud and attention needy, and he deals with himself already; he doesn't need a pet that mirrors his own personality.

  
  


so he doesn't clearly remember why he agreed to accompany hyunjin and his  _ stupidy _ _beautiful_ chihuahua kkami to the animal shelter. hyunjin might have promised to buy him food afterward, but there would be no point in listening to that as all of hwang hyunjin's promises evaporate to nothing eventually. chan learned that detail about his friend over time and he knows that best.

 

hyunjin opens the door to the shelter, and they step inside. chan shudders just slightly when they enter the shelter. immediately they’re greeted by a thankfully clean scent, it's relatively nice, off-white floors and white walls, and nothing is outwardly displeasing, apart from the inevitable sound of loud barking dogs. but to chan it seems that there's sadness weaved in the cracks of the tiles and the spaces between the metal bars. even if they're different sizes and relatively big, all looking different with different animals inside, chan keeps thinking of the places where the animals have to sleep are cells, cages trying to hide behind colorful beddings and waggings of tails. he knows it's supposed to be for the good of the animals, but if he thinks of any being having to live like that for a long time, it's too sad for his liking. he prefers not to think about it.  

  
  


"man." hyunjin nudges him (and kkami, in hyunjin's arms, drools on chan's sleeve in the process) and rescues him from his melancholy trance. "the store part is over there, but where's the kibble?"

 

"why are you asking me? i'm not the one that's familiar with this place," chan answer back, taking his time to contemplate the place well and trying to figure out his movements on the shelter, looking for what they came for.

 

kkami starts yapping before either of them can say anything else, as another dog has seemingly escaped from a room and is romping around in the main hallway towards them. a boy is running after the puppy, complaining as he follows but breaking out into a smile as he scoops it up like a child.

 

"you. you're like a squirmy potato," the boy mutters to the dog, but it's loud enough for chan to hear and laugh at. 

 

"excuse me, but where could we find the kibble? it's not where i found it last time," hyunjin interrupts the kiss the boy  was about to presses on the puppy's head.

 

"oh, sorry! it's over on the left," the boy replies, looking up briefly before ducking his head as he accomplish to kisses the puppy head and the pup replies the human's affection by licking his face. “okay, okay. that’s kind of gross.” the boy hisses back but hugs the puppy closer to him. "sorry for not introducing myself first. i'm minho! and this is coco. i can help you if you have any questions about what brand to buy, i'll be in that room right over there with some of the puppies," he smiles widely  and it isn't like chan’s breathe was hitched in his throat and he couldn't answer, no. but the guy standing besides them with soft brown hair and big eyes...catches him a little off guard.

 

"thanks, minho," hyunjin says, as he walks towards where minho had pointed, not bothering to quiet kkami's excited yapping.

 

"yes, thank you," chan says after a little while, smiling and nodding at minho. in return, minho smiles widely and nods too, as he lays his cheek on the puppy's head.

 

minho bows slightly when they leave, still holding the pup-  _ coco _ in his arms and still wearing the nicest of smiles. chan isn't sure if he's blushing or not. he hopes it is not.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

unfortunately, chan is the kind of person that falls hard and fast, and it's never easy for him to get up by himself. this is true when he runs down the stairs too fast and skips a step, but even more so when his heart suddenly quickens and skips a beat. clumsy.

  
  


(minho’s bright smile had been simply and carefree, but the palpitations in chan's chest even hours later were anything but.)

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

“paw.”  the soft voice orders; steady and strictly only focusing on the feline, intensity matching that of a military officer. “doongie, paw. please. paw.”

an orange and white striped tiger-like cat was before the boy and stares uninterested at the open hand extended in front of him. she looks at the open hand and then back at minho again. she blinks her eyes slowly; and that is all it takes - a blink. 

a single blink and minho's intense gaze melts into one of adoration. he lets out a defeated sigh. “you’re the hardest to discipline doongie, you know that? you’re lucky you’re cute.”

 

he lifts the cat up and carries it around, doongie stares at the surrounding from this new height, she's only a few inches tall and the highest she's ever been by herself was when she jumped on a stool or at the desk. doongie loves it when minho carries him; she can see the store very clearly from here. after a moment minho puts doongie down and the kitty looks up at him, meowing and scrubbing her head on the boy’s legs clamming for attention again. “i can’t spend all day carrying you around, doongie-ah. i’ve got work to do.”    
  


as he starts to walk away from the desk waddling behind him is doongie, obedient to her human. she spends her days like this - following minho around as he does his job at the pet store. no other cats or dogs are let out free to wander like this, but soonie and doongie are a sole exception to this. in fact, they are a sole exception to everything in minho’s life. if it wasn’t for his apartment having a no pets rule, he’d have brought them home a long time ago.

 

“minho hyung! help me with these boxes please!” jisung, his coworker calls out. “they’re seriously heavy!” laughing at how jisung frequently thinks he can carry all that in the first place, minho tightens the apron around his waist and calls out, “okay, okay. just let me do it, what a baby.”

 

"you know there are so many other cats _and_ dogs in this store, hyung. why are you so fixated on soonie and doongie alone?" jisung asks, when he notes how doongie isn't on her cage _again_ , slightly panting from all that weight-lifting attempts. "coco the cute shihtzu is my favorite but i don't even bring her out of the cage room!."

 

stretching his back and positioning himself so he won't cramp his back when he carries the boxes, minho grunts at how heavy the boxes are. he tries to answer his co-worker as he does his work, "doongie is a cutie, and i rescued soonie myself, remember? the attachment issue is real, man."

  
  


 

( _it is real_. when he was in middle school, during one winter, he went to volunteer with some of his friends, minho could clearly remember that day; it was only his first week on the volunteer job and he wasn't exactly feeling the passion yet.

he only did what his job dictates him to, nothing more than that. it wasn't until one rainy friday when he walks out the back door of the store to take a break from the strong smell in the cage room.  he holds a bowl of cat food he intends to feed the cats inside with, but instead he squats by the door and wonders if this job is for him. while he's busy contemplating on his life choices, he feels the bowl getting tugged and he turns to see a tiny stray kitty attempting to eat out of it. 

he stares at the hungry cat for a bit before realizing how it tilts its head oddly when it eats. minho picks the kitty up and holds it in front of his face. he lets out a small gasp when he notices how thin and skinny the tiny cat looks like... "where is your mom, little guy?"

the kitty could only let out a small mew, softly demanding to be put down. minho smiles at it and checks the cat thoroughly. "oh my god, you're so small. cute." minho mutters to himself, still rotating the kitty in his hands to check its gender and such. "you're a girl! what is your name?"

the kitty lets out another mew, probably demanding to be put down so she can eat in peace. "you have such a radiant and fluffy orange fur, little one..." minho says. "i think i'll call you soonie in honor of those colors."

with a small laugh gracing his face, minho cradles the kitty and picks up some of the kibble on his palms. he holds it to soonie's face and she eats it well, clearly hungrier than a wildcat.  minho mutters something about eating with manners, but soonie licks his hand clean with a satisfied look on her face. minho looks at her for a second before asking, " _do you want to be my friend sunshine?_ ")

 

 

 

"oh lord, i've heard this story a million times. you don't have to repeat it every single time i ask about soonie." jisung laughs, cutting the box open with a cutter. "you don't have to be all sentimental hyung, i just find it odd, that's all!"

 

minho shrugs and ignores his friend. he puts down the last box there is and straightens his back with a sense of accomplishment. 

he can't for the life of him find an answer for jisung's question, if he were to be honest to himself. soonie entered his life at the best time, he just feels like he owes her one for bringing some spirit to his otherwise terribly dull life. and with doongie the story line it's kind of similar, doongie was brought at the shelter by a family who's cat had offspring and bring a litter of kittens for adoption, she was the last of the kittens that were not adopted and remain, minho found how that little kitty had a special bond with soonie, and right away minho was also on board in the boat of love. they luckily crossed paths with him. though minho was the luckiest for had them.

 

minho pats jisung's back and says, "you're just jealous, han-ah." jisung gives what seems to be a disagreeing face before doongie's meow echoes through the store. minho's face immediately lights up and he smiles at his friend. "see? she agrees." 

minho then walks back to the front of the pet store where his kitty is waiting as jisung scoffs at him. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

the tinkling of the bell makes chan jump and utter a little "oh," in surprise, as he steps inside he could hear a cat letting out smalls meows that resonate in the place and he’s greeted by the view of someone near a desk playing with an orange kitty, and when he focuses, he sees a very cute someone that chan might know too well already.

 

"hello!. may i help you today?" minho asks, as he turns around, slowly breaking out into a smile. his eyes are on chan (and not on any pet on the shelter for once), and chan may be just a little breathless.

 

"hi. i was here the other day? yesterday? and i need something for dogs!. not cats. i don't have a cat!. ha ha. but i don't have a dog _either_. can i just get dog food. yes."

 

minho stares at chan for a few seconds, blinking curiously, and chan wishes he was holding a puppy now that he could hide behind. why does he have to talk so much.

 

"of course! you came here with someone else, right?"

 

chan smiles, because minho remembers  _ him _ .

 

"then you should remember where the kibble is, over there," minho points matter-of-factly before going back to nuzzling the orange kitty and take the lead, walking back to the cage room where more dogs and cats are playing.

 

"wait!," chan blurts out, and minho's shoulders jump a little as he turns back around again, eyes wider than the cat's his holding. 

"uh. can you explain to me what kinds of food are best for dogs? i mean, the small loud kind ones. chihuahuas ones? i don't really know since my friend hyunjin's not here. actually, it would be helpful if you could tell me what the puppy of yesterday,coco, likes to eat."

 

minho smiles again in that slow way that's so carefree but so sparkly and bright, matching his eyes exactly. "they're different breeds of dogs though. but sure!"

 

as he starts to walk to the kibble from the desk, waddling behind him is the orange cat, firmly to minho. "that's my girl, come here soonie ah" minho says as he give the cat a wide smile.

 

chan listens to every quiet word minho says, absorbing the natural huskiness of his voice and its low grooves that chan wants to wrap himself in. even if later he won't remember anything that minho tells him about protein sources and essential vitamins, he'll remember how soft his voice sounds even from close, the little extra breaths of air minho breathes out with his "s" and "ah" sounds, the pauses he make only to be continued with extended "hmm" and his tongue running over his bottom lip between sentences.

 

as he walks out of the shelter, he wonders _what am i doing with a whole bag of kibble when i don't even have a dog_. he doesn't even think he likes hyunjin's dog that much. but he could always just save it as a birthday present for hyunjin.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

chan comes over to the store everyday that week. so far, he witnessed 5 different outfits on minho consisting of fluffy sweaters that kills chan every time due to how cuddly it makes him look. 

he has accumulated over 4 minho-daily-facts, 3 slow smiles direct to him (and not at any cat), and one incident involving chan getting wet on the rain and minho wiping him off with a towel of the place before chan dunks all the floor minho cleaned previously. when chan was over the weekend, he found out, by minho's co-worker, that minho doesn't appear on the shelter during those days, leaving chan a little grumpier than the rest of the week.  

  
  


minho is really cute. so cute that chan is starting to think the kitties and puppies he constantly holds are cute too. minho's slow smiles keep replaying in chan's head at any and all times as does his voice, warm and low and more comfortable than creamy coffee, and chan wonders what it would be like to hear him laugh. 

 

and so, chan congratulates himself for waiting a whole week before visiting the animal shelter again.

 

"hello," minho greets at the door again, a different cat in his arms this time. 

it might be chan's hope playing it up, but it seems like his smile is a little bigger, or maybe a little brighter.

 

"hi!. um. i don't really have anything to buy this time? but. there are a lot of cats and dogs here. so i was wondering, if i could play with some of them? help them exercise? because that's healthy, right? ah, yes." chan really needs to learn how to talk.

 

minho's grin definitely grows this time, and the smallest of crinkles form at the edges of his eyes. chan almost reaches a hand out to touch them to see if they're real, but it almost doesn't matter, because he knows minho's sparkly eyes won't be forgettable for a long while.

  
  
  


they enter the room that chan's always see minho come out of, and chan has to be careful where he steps. there are toys strewn about the floor, some wet with drool and some not, and multicolored beds and blankets nearly everywhere else for the dogs. the puppies of the room the moment they entered were asleep. 

so minho directs him towards a large window that separates the corridor from the puppies to the kitties. there were big cat's tower, many shelves on the wall where the kittens could swing from one place to another, and lots of toys adorned with feathers and jingle bells scattered on the floor. five kitties were in the playroom with a big orange and white cat that chan recognizes from the first week he was in the store, and minho bends down and deposits the one in his arms on the ground to greet the others.

  
  


"dori, doongie, nora, pudding, latte, cupcake! hi cuties!" the kitties have swarmed around minho, all nuzzling his knees and meowing to be picked up. "children! behave," he says somewhat sternly, but chan hears the laughter at the ends of his words and sees the pouting in his lips, and he feels as floppy as one of the worn-out toys on the floor.

 

"look! we have a friend today!!!! let's all be nice, okay? he's being very nice to come here, so don't scratches his clothes or anything!" minho ruffles the fluffiest siamese cat's ear -- was it nora? -- and laughs loudly when the cat playfully nips at his fingers, voice pitched much higher than usual. he covers his mouth shyly when he realizes chan's looking at him, but that only makes chan smile more.

 

"dori," chan tries hesitantly. he's never had a conversation with a cat before. said cat turns its head towards him, wide-eyed and curious. "come play!" he says while he shows her one of the many feathery toys that were on the floor.

 

dori runs towards chan so quickly that she catches the toys out of chan's hand and slides through his squat legs and out the open door. chan is stunned for a few seconds, not sure in what to do, and minho laughs again. chan is stunned further by minho's crescent eyes crinkled in innocent humor and full lips framing perfect teeth. perfect. minho is perfect.

 

chan curses himself because he _barely_ knows minho, but he knows himself enough to not even try to deny how absolutely gorgeous he thinks minho is, both in aesthetics and in cute words dotted with cute smiles. he runs after dori to hide his blushing cheeks, but he ends up slipping on the floor too and minho is sent into more peals of laughter that he doesn’t even try to conceal. when chan finally manages to scoop up the energetic kitty and return, minho has two orange cats, soonie and doongie, in his lap and is still in giggles. 

chan can't help but joining in.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

finally, chan walks in the door and minho remembers his name.

 

"hello, chan-hyung!" he greets. but it's in a voice much higher than his own. dori waves a paw at chan, a paw held by large fingers, and minho's head is invisible behind the cat's body. "are you here to play?"

 

"of course," chan laughs back. "what else would i be here for?"

 

minho lowers dori and smiles. it’s shyer than his smiles have been of late, and he looks down at the tiles. chan wonders if minho blushes easily.

  
  


in the past, chan probably would have complained about his butt hurting from sitting on the floor for too long, but it's bearable now on the floor of the playroom with dori plopped in his lap, fast asleep. and it doesn't hurt that minho is sitting across from him less than a meter away, cooing over soonie and doongie sitting on his thighs.

 

chan manages to look out the window away from minho's dazzling expression, and he curses when he realizes it's already dark outside.

 

"what's wrong?" minho asks, lips unconsciously pouting in worry, blinking the confusion away, and chan internally curses again.

 

"ah, it's nothing," chan stammers, not wanting to leave, especially when he has a sleeping kitty in his lap.

 

"you have to leave, right? you probably have more important things to do right now," minho says, and he focuses on petting the cats in his lap instead of looking chan in the eye.

 

"this is very important to me! i was kind of supposed to meet someone else later, but it doesn't really matter. i can stay a little longer!."

 

"no, you don't have to be late, you should go. here, i'll help. sorry, children," minho mumbles as he pushes the kitty off his lap and leans forward to reach for dori. chan's breath hitches a little when he realizes how close minho is to him, even if it's barely more than a second.

 

"come on! look at you," minho chastises the little cat as he hoists her out of chan's lap. "not moving or listening at all. you're like a little sack of rice, kitty."

 

chan giggles and smiles uncontrollably, like he usually does around minho, and he stands up reluctantly. "well, i'll get going again. i'll see you again soon. bye~" he waves to the kitties.

 

"bye," minho says a little too loudly, as if he were nervous or something, and he bends down to pet a whining doongie.

 

without thinking, chan reaches out and ruffles minho’s hair, tenderly, as if he were a little cat. minho looks up at him blinking through his brown bangs, _so kitty-like_ , and chan has the realization that his fingers feel really nice in minho's thick hair. 

he thinks that even if he could pull stars out of the sky and arrange them into words, there wouldn't be an adequate phrase to capture how adorable and beautiful and everything minho is.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

“hey, minho,” chan calls out one day as he walks through the shelter’s door.

 

said boy pokes his head out of the playroom doorways with, guess what, a kitty in his arms. “yeah?”

 

“how’s it going today? are there a lot of people?”

 

“hmm more or less, there haven’t been many this morning.” minho tries not to look sad as he says it, but chan remembers what he had said before about how _ he wished more people would adopt. _ it had been in passing, but there had been a helpless look lingering on minho’s face as he mentioned that the shelter was getting really crowded and chan couldn’t forget it.

 

chan crows in victory, and minho looks so adorably confused. “hoping that today would be a slow day, i borrowed my dad’s car to drive here. there’s enough room for five puppies in the back. you know. if you’re free.”

 

it takes minho a second, and then his face lights up, eyes sparkling. “you want to take them somewhere? jisung can handle this place without me.”

 

“i found a nice park nearby, but if you know any place better…”

 

“no, i trust you,” minho says. “wait, i’ll get the leashes!”

 

minho’s smile is so bright. so contagious.

  
  
  


the sun is shining when they arrive and the puppies are scrambling in the backseat. luckily, none of them peed during the ride, and chan doesn’t worry about having to pay for new upholstery.

 

“let’s go!” minho yells excitedly, and it’s not clear whether he’s talking to the puppies or chan. he emerges from the backseat with three little shih tzus squirming in his arms, and chan just watches him for a few seconds before reaching for the resting two.

 

“hyung, i said let’s go!” it’s such a simple sentence, but for some reason chan feels all fluttery, and it’s probably not the furry paws pattering against his chest.

  
  


it was kind of useless to bring the leashes. the puppies’ legs are moving before they’re even close to the ground, and they take off as their paws hit the grass. chan’s hands are yanked in opposite directions as the puppies attached to the leashes he’s holding run in opposite directions, and not expecting it, he falls on the ground. right on his ass of course.

 

minho laughs, and chan loves how easy it is for him to, carelessly and freely. 

everything minho does seems so easy, even now as he manages not to trip over the three tangled leashes around him. it’s really not fair. so chan decides not to play fair either.

 

“kunta-ya! coco-ya! let’s go!!!!” chan yells, letting go of their leashes and pushing them in the direction of minho and the other three puppies. their little paws move too fast to be more distinguishable than curls of fur flying over green grass, and minho’s trio of puppies start yipping and running around excitedly as well. finally, minho trips and falls too, and chan starts laughing at his surprised expression before he even hits the ground. they’re just two boys lying on blades of grass in some park with puppies running ecstatically around them. 

it could be a nice set up for a movie scene, but really, a few clouds have blocked some of the sunlight and the grass is uneven where the ground is bumpy. it’s not that comfortable. then, minho looks over at him with an awkward boyish laugh halfway caught in his throat before he scoops up coco and kisses the top of her head. this is when, despite the itchy grass and shifting clouds, chan thinks this is more perfect than something a camera could recreate.

 

they run around chasing the puppies for long enough that chan forgets to check the time and barely notices that the sun is starting to set. they’re all tired as they walk back to the car, especially minho, it seems, and his sleepy blinks captivate chan. he finds himself wanting to measure minho’s dark eyelashes and stroke his eyelids closed, and he wonders if minho is even more beautiful when he sleeps. this is so much.

 

he makes himself look away, and it comes to him that minho is wearing white shorts. white. minho really isn’t fair, still looking so so good even when his pants are spotted with green from rolling around in grass for hours. minho is very distracting when he looks so good, especially when he’s walking in front of chan and it’s very hard not to notice his figure from behind. very distracting. very.

 

“you know you have grass stains on your shorts? like. right here!” chan cheerfully pats the offending spot on minho’s butt.

minho jumps a little at the sudden contact, but then he breaks out into embarrassed giggles and squeezes the puppies in his arms a little tighter. “hey, you too!” he says as he pokes a finger at chan’s hip. there is a stain there, but it’s fairly small, and chan is surprised how flustered he gets by the touch.

“and you again, here!” chan holds up coco to minho’s face and the smart puppy leans forward to lick his cheek. minho explodes into giggles this time, kissing the puppy’s nose back, and chan trips on a rock he was too busy not to notice. what a long day.

  
  
  


chan helps minho herd the puppies back into the shelter. the guy in the shelter’s office - jisung -, peeks his head out to wave, and he throws a telltale wink to chan, who blushes again. he hopes he _isn’t_ _really_ that obvious.

 

as minho puts coco back in her cage, he turns to look at chan with tired but still sparkling eyes. “thank you for today hyung, it was fun! will you be back tomorrow? i mean, when are you coming back?”

 

“probably not this week. my mother says i haven’t been in the house enough lately and she wants me to spend more time at home.”

 

“oh,” minho says, and chan doesn’t want his hope to jump out ahead of him, but it very much looks like minho’s lower lip is pouting like he’s upset. “but i’ll see you soon, take care!” chan waves, and minho’s smile makes chan smile in turn.

 

“what, you don’t want him to ever leave?” chan hears that jisung guy tease as he walks out the door. he doesn’t hear minho’s response, if there is one.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

“i brought something today!” chan strolls in the shelter and holds up two paper bags from a bakery nearby.

 

“something sweet that smells good!” minho closes his eyes as he smells the aroma in the air. “wait.” his eyes widen in worry, and it’s so _so_ adorable. “this isn’t for the kitties, right? you know they can’t eat chocolate--”

 

“duh, this is for you and me!,” chan shakes the paper bags in his left hand, “and this is for you and me,” he gently gestures with the cardboard that holds two americano coffees. “and this is for the kitties and puppies,” he shakes the plastic bag on his arm. “we’re allowed to eat in the playroom area, aren’t we?”

 

he takes minho’s beaming grin as a yes.

  
  


“let’s make it look like a picnic!” chan cheers, and they manage to find a relatively clean blanket somewhere and spread it on the ground. they split the three cupcakes -- strawberry, dark chocolate, and coffee because chan couldn’t decide which two flavors were the best -- and minho declares they’re the best he’s ever tasted. 

chan feels silly for smiling so much.

 

“you know,” minho says after they finish their last mouthfuls of cake --but there’s still a smear of icing on the corner of his lips that chan wouldn’t mind kissing off--. 

“you’re too nice to me hyung. i already have it nice enough.”

 

“what are you talking about? no one’s making me do this,” chan says, frowning at minho’s downcast eyes.

 

“never mind. this is supposed to be nice,” minho mumbles quietly, and he starts to reach for soonie, who’s busy gnawing at one of the treats chan bought.

 

“no, no tell me!” chan says, automatically grabbing for minho’s hand to comfortingly hold in both of his. they’re both a little surprised by the contact, but minho squeezes his hands back, warmer and stronger and more comforting than chan could ever hope to be despite the circumstances.

 

“i just,” minho starts. “sometimes i feel bad that my work is basically me playing around all day, and i love it, but i feel like it’s not good enough sometimes.”

 

“what are you talking ab-”

 

minho interrupts before chan can continue, but his voice has started to shake. “most of the money i make here goes to my dance lesson and to help pay for my cousins’ university tuition, but it’s not very much and while they’re off growing up and learning about everything, i’m here petting and feeding cats all day. and i don’t have any plans  more than dancing. i’m never going to contribute like they will.”

 

“hey, you’re wrong.” chan’s thumbs rub circles and stars into minho’s large fingers, and it is so so tempting to reach out and comb out minho’s soft  hair and hopefully the tangles inside his head too. but he doesn’t quite.  “what would happen if you were doing something else and you weren’t here? would these kitties and puppies be here and as happy as they are? soonie might have been left on the street forever if you hadn’t seen her and rescued her, and everyone else probably wouldn’t be as well-loved as they are with you.

 

“and,” chan pauses a little, “we might not have ever met if i had come to the shelter and _you weren’t here_. i wouldn’t have you as a friend. and i can see that you’re so happy with what you’re doing every day, and it’s always making a difference. you’re important, minho. _always_.”

 

minho reaches for coco and pulls the puppy into his lap, curling his fingers into soft fur and not looking at chan. “i’m sorry. i’m just stupid. you probably didn’t want to hear that.” minho is blinking a lot, but not in the usual sleepy kind of way. and for once, chan doesn’t want to see the stars in minho’s eyes because this time they’re pooling together and plotting streams of constellations down his cheeks.

 

“didn’t you just listen to me, minho? don’t apologize. there’s nothing to apologize for. you’re important and you’re wonderful.” chan says quietly.

 

minho whispers something to coco, but he doesn’t repeat it for chan. -( if chan had better hearing, he might have heard a “no, that’s you.”)-

 

"here, i'll throw all the trash away yeah?," chan says since he doesn’t know what else to say. he stands up and starts to collect the empty cups and paper bags. minho flashes him a weak smile of thanks as he continues slowly petting coco's ears, and chan runs out the door quickly. it doesn't take him too long to find the nearest trash can, but when he comes back, he hears minho talking, and for some reason he decides not to reenter the room just yet.

 

"why are you whining? are you sad that chan hyung went to throw the trash out?" minho coos, and chan barely stops himself from giggling because minho is talking to a puppy.

"yeah, i miss him too. but probably not like how you miss him. like how we both like him, but me differently than you."

 

the tips of chan’s ears start to tingle, and he feels the flush spreading in his cheeks and neck. chan has supposedly graduated from high school, but he feels like one of the protagonists of a high school tv drama played by a bad actor whose mouth drops open too much and is constantly overdramatic.

well, it’s true that he’s not good at acting, and he’s probably overreacting now  _ anyways _ . he hopes it doesn’t show that he’s overheard when he walks back into the room a few seconds later.

 

“oh, you’re back,” minho says when he looks up at him. his cheeks are still a little red. probably from his crying earlier, unless just now...

 

“why, do you wish i hadn’t come back? i do have to go now, though.”

 

“oh,” and there’s that look again that seems like a pout or a frown, but chan can’t tell completely. “come back soon, hyung!”

dori has climbed in his lap now, and he holds her in front of his face again. “oppa goodbye~” minho calls out in a high tone, and his voice cracks. both boys burst out into laughter.

 

as he walks out the door, chan wonders if anyone at the shelter really misses him when he leaves as much as he misses them.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

normally, the texts chan gets from minho are cute little smiley faces and messages like “hyung! kitties says they miss you the most today~”. today’s makes chan frown, for it’s unlike minho to actually ask chan to come on a specific day, especially when he uses the word “please” five times in a row.

 

“is something wrong?” chan asks jisung when he gets there. for some reason, minho isn’t at the door waiting for him like usual.

 

“this isn’t the first time it’s happened, but he’s especially bad today,” jisung whispers, pointing at the playroom. the scariest thing is that jisung is _whispering_. chan doesn’t see too much of him, but it’s not uncommon to hear him yelling about cat litter or something even through closed doors.

  
  
  


bad is a bit of an understatement, chan thinks. when he opens the door, minho is sitting on the floor cradling dori in his arms, rocking back and forth while trying to keep his sobs inaudible. chan immediately puts a hand on his shoulder and notices that it’s shaking.

 

“what happened,” chan whispers, hoping that minho doesn’t break.

 

“i. i took dori to the vet today for a check-up, and they found something in her stomach.” minho stops to breathe, trembling more now. chan notices that his hands are covering dori’s ears. “she needs surgery, but there’s no money to pay for it. the shelter’s budget is stretched too tight as it is, and i’ve already spent my own pay to try to make up for it. there’s no way i can ask anyone because no one else has the money either. what am i going to do,” he chokes.

 

chan carefully massages minho’s shoulders, a therapeutic release for not just the other boy but himself as well. “minho. you don’t have to deal with this by yourself. something will happen.” he leaves it vague because chan doesn’t know very many answers either.

he doesn’t like the falling stars on minho’s cheeks. minho can’t burn out. chan gently wipes one of them away with his thumb, and it’s so hot.

  
  
  


chan doesn’t leave the shelter for another few hours, waiting until minho’s tears have completely saturated the shoulder of his shirt and he can’t take the curious looks that dori keeps giving them. as he leaves, he leans over the office counter where jisung sits lazily and says, “i have a question.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“hyung,” minho says wearily the next time chan visits. “dori’s gone.”

 

“gone? or not living at the shelter anymore?”

 

“on the day i took off this week, someone adopted her. we didn’t even get to say goodbye.” chan really wants to kiss minho’s trembling lower lip, but.

 

“oh minho.” chan pulls him in for a hug, and minho doesn’t jump or laugh like he used to when they touch. it’s almost like he was waiting for this and he sinks into chan’s shoulders and waist where he rests his head and arms. they stay like that for a while, long enough that chan thinks maybe he can forgive himself.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


even when chan mentioned fried chicken and ratatouille marathon movie, minho didn’t smile as brightly as he used to. still, he’s on the subway with chan as they make their way to chan’s apartment for a boys’ night in. give it to hyunjin for coming up with such silly terms. damn catchy though.

 

“don’t be shocked when you walk in, it’s kind of messy,” chan warns as he dials the passcode to unlock the door.

 

“hyung, i work with puppies and kitties on a daily basis, you think i’ll be bothered by--”

 

minho freezes when the door clicks open and a familiar curly tail wags at him. he dives through the entryway and scoops the kitty up in his arms, squealing, and within a few seconds it sounds like he’s crying again.

 

“you didn’t take your shoes off first. that’s kinda rude.”

 

“you didn't!!!!!!. oh god you did!!!. my kitty!!!!!  _ hyung!! _  dori!!!!!!” minho stops and suddenly looks at chan, dori suspended by his hands in the air. “ _wait_!. is dori okay? _i didn't hurt her more did i !_ _!!_ \--”

 

“shh,” chan says, tiptoeing up to reach dori and gently push her down until she’s cradled in minho’s arms again. “she’s okay. it’s been a week since her surgery, but now she needs to start taking her medicine and i thought i’d need some help--”

 

“where is it,” minho says very seriously, gently putting dori down and walking towards chan’s kitchen counter. “how much do you need to give to her? how many times a day? is it liquid or pills or--”

 

“here.” chan grabs minho’s shoulders and steers him towards the coffee table. “the instructions are all there. don’t make me read them out or i’ll say it wrong.”

 

minho sits on the couch and dori immediately climbs up to his lap, and the tears start pouring out of his eyes all over again. he gently opens the kitty’s mouth and squeezes drops from the medicine bottle into it. dori really does look like a baby being fed, and chan feels a little prickling at the back of his eyes. 

  
  


chan decides to take a shower while minho and the kitty reconnect after two weeks apart. when he comes back, both are fast asleep still on the couch. it’s really too cute, and chan sits down next to them trying not to make cooing sounds, although he lets a contented sigh escape from his mouth.

 

minho is really, really beautiful when he’s asleep. even with tear streams of constellations down his eyes that were only half wiped away, the curves of his lips and nose and the shadows around his eyes are gorgeous, and chan can’t resist tracing them all with a finger.

up a cheekbone, across his eyebrow, the corners of his eyes, the tiny mole on his nose, and lastly, a light kiss to his forehead. chan may have been okay at acting before, but he’s terrible at controlling himself this late at night. and it’s minho.

 

minho’s eyes fly open, and chan startles, caught in the act. this is not how it was supposed to go. but then again chan doesn’t really have any idea of how it should go.

 

“why’d you do that?” minho whispers, still sleepy.

 

“what? i’m. i’m sorry, i slipped--”

 

“no, why’d you adopt dori and pay for her surgery without telling me? i thought we were friends hyung?”

 

“well, jisung didn’t seem to think it was a bad idea, and i thought most people liked surprises--”

 

minho cuts him off by pulling him in until their lips touch, and chan is angry because he is not supposed to feel this flustered. but minho’s lips are so _so_ soft and minho is so _so_ warm, especially when he scoots a still sleeping dori off his lap and wraps his arms around chan’s waist.

 

“yeah, surprises are nice,” minho whispers in the gap between their lips when they breathe, and chan just laughs into him as he leans back in for more. 

 

"i think i like you." minho mutters, eyes shut as he slowly rubs chan's back. chan lifts his head and looks at minho for a second before leaning in to peck him on the cheeks. 

 

"i like you too." chan replies, nuzzling his face in minho's neck. he adds, "and your kitty."

 

minho giggles, "our kitty."  chan doesn’t need to look out the window for stars, because he’s already found more than he could ever deserve right in his arms.

  
  


 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> 💘 hello minchan lovers!! 💘


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